Progressive compression apparatus for treatment of bodily extremities



. D. WEINBERG 2,781,041

PROGRESSIVE COMPRESSION APPARATUS FOR TREATMENT OF BODILY EXTREMITIES 5 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 12, 1957 Filed Dec. 2, 1955 ff-ET mg Feb. ,12, 1957 .B. D. WEINBERG 2,781,041

PRoGREssIvE PREssIoN APPARATUS PoR TREATMENT BODILY EXTREMITIES Filed Deo. 2, 1955 3 shets-'sneet 2 fr QE` ll 1% Q f5 PFSSUFE P/ar H, l E

if? n ,2? 56 Passw/f5 @9 0N OFF if" INVENTOR.

Feb. 12, 1957 B. D. wr-:INBERG 2,731,041

PROGRESSIVE coMPREssIoN APPARATUS FOR TREATMENT OF BODILY EXTREMITIES Filed Dec 2, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 PROGRESSIVE Cl/IPRESSIN APPARATUS FR TREATMENT F BDRY EXTREIES Bernard D. Weinberg, Freeport, N. Y. Application December 2, 1955, Serial No. 550,591

10 Claims. (Cl. 12S-60) The invention herein disclosed relates to apparatus for compressive treatment of the upper and lower limbs.

It has been found that with certain vascular diseases or deciencies, beneficial results can be obtained by progressively compressing successive portions of a limb thus to, in eect, milk the tiuid present in the blood stream back toward the heart, into the main circulatory system, or conversely, away from the heart to the periphery.

It is a purpose of the present invention to provide simple, practical apparatus for accomplishing such effects.

Special objects of the invention are to provide apparatus which will progressively vapply pressure to successive portions of the anatomy, hold that pressure on all those portions for a time and then suddenly release pressure from all those portions. This cycle of applying and holding pressure on successive portions of the body and then suddenly releasing the pressure on those portions is effective for treatment of many vascular complications. The progressive squeezing, holding and releasing has the eiect of flushing fluids tending to accumulate, back out of the blood stream and stimulating or restoring the system to full, normal activity.

In practicing this treatment of progressive pressure, holding and sudden release, it is important for safety reasons that pressure be instantly and preferably automatically released in case of any failure in the electrical or pressure applying portions of the apparatus.

Accordingly, it is a further object of the invention to provide practical and reliable means for releasing pressure in the pressure applying portions of the apparatus in the event of any failure in essential features of the apparatus, such as in the electrical and pressure carrying portions of the system.

Other special and important objects of the invention are to provide the pressure applying portions of the apparatus in a comfortably fitting form which will not by any possibility inict injury on the patient, and of a construction which can be readily applied and removed and such that can be kept properly clean and sanitary in use.

Other desirable objects accomplished by the invention and the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts by which such objects are attained, are set forth and will further appear in the course of the following specication.

The drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification illustrate present practical embodiments of the invention, but structure may be further modified and changed, all within the true intent and scope of the invention as hereinafter dened and claimed.

Fig. 1 in the drawings is a broken, sectional and partly diagrammatic view illustrating the combined components of the invention, comprising in this example the compressed air source forming the pressure supply, the multiple section progressive pressure applying sleeve and the motor driven distributor valve for directing pressure to successive portions of the sleeve, holding pressure in those sections and then releasing the pressure from all sections;

Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are sectional views on'correspondingly numbered section lines of Fig. l, showing the valve ports and passages for eiecting successive connection to and pressure release from the sleeve sections;

,2,781,041 Patented Feb. l2, v19,547

Fig. 7 is a broken elevation of the rotary distributor valve element looking yat the release port side of the same;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the valve element looking at the ported pressure supply side of the same;

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional View as on line 9-9 of Fig. 8, showing pressure inlet and exhaust passages;

Fig. l0 is a plan view of a cabinet form of the apparatus, showing particularly the panel with timer and pressure controls and with an electrical supply connection and the iiexible tube connections to the pressure applying sleeve broken away;

Fig. l1 is a part sectional diagrammatic view of the parts contained within the cabinet, including in this instan-ce as a possible modification, the pressure supply as an air pump driven by electric motor and the safety pressure release as a piston actuated valve connected in the air system;

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of an arm or leg pressure applying sleeve with connections to the four in this case, progressive pressure applying cells and the inner, overlying or connecting view being taken on substantially the plane of line 12-12 of Fig. 15.

Fig. 13 is a similar view showing all ve of the cells inflated as in the pressure holding phase of the treatment;

Fig. 14 is an outside elevation of the sleeve with supply connections indicated in section;

Fig. l5 is a cross-sectional View of the treating sleeve as on substantially the plane of line 15-15 of Fig. 12.

In the basic embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, a source of pressure is shown in the form of a compressed air tank 2li connected at 21 regulatable at 23 to carry air at reduced pressure indicated at 24 through connection 25 to a rotary distributor valve 26. y

This valve is shown as having a valve element 27 rotated at reduced speed from a motor 28 and having a center passage 29 in one end open to the pressure supply conduit 25 and an exhaust passage 30 open out through the opposite end.

From the center supply passage 33, 34, 35 and there join to circumferentially extended channels 36,

29 radial ports 31, 32,

37, 38, 39, 4t2', the latter being of successively lesser circumferential extent so as to register successively in that order with outlet ports 41, 42, 43, 44, 45 in the body of the valve, in rotation in the direction of the arrow.

At the opposite side the rotatable valve element has a longitudinally extended recess 46, Fig. 7, which in the final stage of rotation will register with all theY last mentioned ports to effect release of pressure through the communicating inclined port 47 to the exhaust passage 30 extending out through the end of the member.

From the successively supplied valve ports 41 to 45, llexible tube connections 4S, 49, 50, 51, 52 extend to inatable sleeve, cell or cutf sections 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, the iirst four being successively arranged, cuit-like elements in end-toend engagement and 57 being an elongated inflatable sleeve extending within and through all the other surrounding cu sections, thus to bridge abutting ends of the cuffs and form a continuous, unbroken, inner pressure applying section.

These several inflatable elements maybe of plastic, rubber or other such ilexible material and may be elastic or inelastic as may seem desirable.

To enable the pressure applying unit to be readily applied to or be removed from the limb, it may be encased in a slip-on cover and lining such as indicated in Figs. 12 to 15, and shown as made up of an outer cover 5S and an inside lining 59 which may be suitably connected together at opposite ends as by lacing 60 at one end and stitching 61 at the opposite end, or laced at both ends.

sleeve broken away, this with a pressure reducing valve 22v extend to the periphery of the valve element- Usually it may be preferred to have both ends of lin-V be entirely separated for cleaning Vor other purposes.

These lining andcover elements may be made of the same or diierent materials, such as impregnated fabrics, flexible plastic materials or the like.

passage of theV pressure supply and release tubesY 4S to 52, leading to the inflatable sections. Y

Instead of a compressed air tank 20, Fig. l, supplied from same main sourceof pressure, the apparatus may include anV air pumpY such'as indicated at 63, lig. ll, driven by motor 64, thus to render the apparatus completely portable and independent of VlocalY air pressure supply. Y Y

Fig. 10 indicates how the components may all be combined withinav cabinet enclosure 65 which may carry a panel supporting pressure gage 24, pressure control Vbuttonr23 and an automatic cycling timer 67 whic'nrmay Vbe adjustable for varying the speed of operation or sequence of cycles or the like,

To insure immediaterelease of pressure `on shutdown rof the machine or possibly Von failure of the power or air supply, safetyrrelease valve means may be provided such as illustrated in Fig. l, in the form of a slide valve 68 'which will be held by a solenoid 69 in the operative position Withfporrts 79 in line with the pressure deliveryY ports 31-7-35 and ll-14S under normalY operating conditionsV and will be shiftedV by spring 7l when the solenoid is deenergized to release pressure from the connections 4 8-52rthroughports and passages 72, 73.

Instead of holding this safety release valve in normal operating condition by a solenoid, the valve may be held by air pressure in the manner indicated in Fig. ll, where the `stein 74 of this valve is shown as carrying a piston 75 operating in a cylinder 'rsubjected by connection 'i7 to air pressure developed by pump 6 3. It this pump, through failure of motor 64 or for other cause, fails to deliver proper pressure to piston 75 the spring 78 will shift the valve to openV release of pressure from connections 48---52Y leading to the five or other number of presn sure cells in thepressure applying boot or sleeve.

The continuously extending, long, inner inilatablemember which bridges the abutting or adjoining ends of the shorter sequentially pressurized cells acts to equalize applied pressure between the cells and serves to prevent h ,the creation vof welts Vor bamboo eect on the arm or Yleg of the patient.

'While of particular value for treatment of vascular ailments, it will be appreciated that the invention is adapted for other purposes where manipulation and massag-V ingrof the extremities is considereddesirable for kneadl ing and forcing uid matter secretedy in the blood back into the circulatory system, toward the heart or away from theheart tothe periphery. Y

Whatjis claimed is:

l. Apparatus of the character disclosed, comprising the combination of a sleeve for enclosing a human exf tremity and made up of separate, inllatable, pressure applying cells in end-to-end relation and an inner inilatable cell within and embracing the longitudinal extent of said first named cellsy and means for successive in flating said first named and then said longer, inner longitudinal cell. Y

2. Apparatus of the character disclosed, comprising the combination of a sleeve for'enclosing al human extremity and made up of separate, inflatable, pressure applying Vcells in end-to-end relation and an innerrinatable cell within'and embracing the longitudinal'extent of said iirst named cells and means for successively iniating said rst named and then said longer, inner lon gitudinal cell, including a rotary motor driven distributing valve and separate connections from said valve to said several cells.

3. Apparatus of the character disclosed, comprising the combination of a Ysleeve for enclosing a human exing and cover detachably connected so that they may` y `The cover 58 is'shown as having grommets 62 Vfor tremity and made up of separate, inflatable, pressure applying cells in end-to-end relation and an inner inatable cell witlnn and embracing the longitudinal extent of said rst named cells and means for successively inating said iirst named and then said longer, inner longitudinal cell, including a rotary motor driven distributing valve and separate connections from said valve to said several cells, and means for automatically releasing all pressure in the event of power failure.

4. Apparatus of the character disclosed, comprising the combination of a sleeve for enclosing a human extremity and made up of separate, inatable, pressure applying cells in cnd-to-end relation and an inner inflatable cell within and embracing the longitudinal extent of said iirst named cells and means for successively inilating said lirst named and then said longer, inner longitudinal cell, and holding each successively inated cell inflated all together, finally simultaneously releasing pressure of all inflated cells and repeating the same cycle.

` 5. ApparatusV of the character disclosed, comprising the combination of a sleeve for enclosing a human extremity and made up of separate, inflatable, pressure ap rst named cells, means for successively inating said lirst named and then said longer, inner longitudinal cell andfmeans forautomatically andy instantly releasing all ressure in the system in the event of power failure.V

6. Apparatus of the character disclosed, comprising the combination of a sleeve for enclosing a human extremityV and made up of separate, iniiatable, pressure applying cells in end-to-end relation and an inner inilatable cell within and embracing the longitudinal extent of said first namedV cells, means for successively inating said iirstnamed and then said longer, inner longitudinal cell Vand a cover sleeve enclosing all said cells and conining them inthe relation described'.

7. Apparatus ofthe character disclosed comprising a sleeve for enclosing a human extremity and inclu-ding separate inilatable pressure applying culs in end-to-end relation and an inner inilatable sleeve within and extending the f ull length of saidrseparate cuifsrover the joints between adjoining ends of the cus.

8. Apparatus of the character disclosed comprising a sleeve for enclosing a human extremity and including separate inflatable. pressure applying cus in end-to-end relation and an inner iniiatable sleeve within and extend- Ving the full length of said separate cuis over the joints between adjoining ends of theV cuffs,V and said inflatable cuffs and inatablersleeve having separate means of inilation and pressure release. e

9. Apparatus of the character disclosed comprising a sleeve for enclosing a human extremity and including separate inatable pressure applying cutis in end-to-end sleeve for enclosing a human extremity and includingV separate inflatable pressure applying cults in end-to-end relation and an inner inilatable sleeve within Vand extending the full length of said separate cuis over the joints between adjoining endsV of thecuffs, and a separate, removable cover over said assembled inatable cuits and sleeve, said cover includingran outer cover and an innerY lining connectedatl opposite ends but separable one fro the other for cleaningor other purposes. Y

YRelier-ences Cited in the le of this patent Y i Y UNiTED STT'Es `PATEiSITs 2,533,504 Poor -a Dec. l2, 1950 

